When I was a sergeant in a big-city police department, having joined the department after serving four years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, I was selected to serve as a member of the instructor cadre for a contractor-developed management/supervision class to be given to all supervisory officers, sergeants and above.
As someone who had learned the basics of leadership in the U.S. military, I was already aware that police supervisors received zero leadership training or encouragement and that very few seemed interested in learning. Still, I was unprepared for the absolute refusal of some senior officers to accept even the most basic responsibilities of leadership. Taking responsibility for the work of others, holding subordinates accountable for their performance, supporting their subordinates in any manner whatsoever: these were completely foreign concepts that apparently had no place in my department. The mere suggestion that a supervisor had responsibilities to anyone but him or herself was contemptuously derided.
The training course was presented in ten modules, one per week, and I was one of the instructors for one of the modules, so over the course of the program I interacted with every senior officer on the department. Many of the younger supervisors were actually interested in the material, but they were openly ridiculed by older, more senior officers.
I understood at the time that police personnel practices then (and, I suspect, now) were unlikely to produce effective leaders. Police departments mostly hire non-college graduates with limited occupational experience for entry-level positions. From that point on, every supervisory position is filled from the same small, inexperienced pool. Leadership training is rare, and few, if any departments go outside their own ranks to hire sergeants, lieutenants, or captains, thus guaranteeing that no supervisor will have any actual supervisory or managerial experience, except what they have picked up watching their own supervisors flail. A police captain in a large department might be responsible for two hundred officers, millions of dollars in equipment and infrastructure, and the safety of thousands of citizens. What other industry in America would appoint a person to such a position with no experience, training, or education in planning, budgeting, personnel administration, or leadership?
But while I understood many of the obstacles to effective leadership within the police department, I was not prepared for the degree to which actual “leaders” refused to accept their role. It was then that I fully realized that my department was essentially a Cub Scout troop without adult supervision. The cubs were in charge. It was a low point in my law enforcement career.
I was fortunate in that I had already earned a master’s degree, so, unlike many of my colleagues, I had employment opportunities outside of law enforcement or private security. I took a pay cut to leave, but it was well worth it.
Ultimately, I spent nine years on the police department, not including three years as a police cadet while attending school and another half year as a civilian planner. I am glad that I was there and I am proud of my service. I think that everyone should work as a police officer for five years, but no one should stay longer than that.
My law enforcement experience was primarily limited to a single department at a single point in time. Other large departments may have operated differently and my experience from decades ago might be irrelevant today. I certainly hope so.
Originally posted to Quora 10.13.2018
October 13, 2018